Sugoi RS Jersey

Sugoi's RS jersey is one of those pieces of kit where if you have to do a double take when you first see the price - in a good way.

Cut for a racing fit, the sleeves are ergonomically shaped to fit in the ride position and everything from the neck to the dropped rear is in proportion.

The materials are a mixture of Gobi, a diamond knit that creates a very fine mesh that gives plenty of breathability and wicking. It's a very fine knit though it looks like a standard knit jersey to the naked eye. The yarn and the knitting process are said to offer superior abrasion and snag resistance plus the close fit is provided without the use of Lycra.

Covering the shoulders (front and rear) and the armpits and the rear hem is what Sugoi call Vector Stretch. A two layered mesh structure that is all about cooling the rider. The bottom layer sits against the skin while a second layer sits away from the skin. The bottom layer then removes moisture up to the space between the two layers as the cooling wind from riding blows through keeping you dry.

It certainly works and is one of the cooler jerseys that I've been wearing while the majority of the UK basks in 30°C heat. Impressive considering we're testing the black version as well. If things get too hot there is also a full length zip.

Three pockets adorn the rear with a decent enough depth to keep your essentials in place and the RS jersey has a tight enough kit that the rear doesn't sag when the pockets become overloaded.

There are five more colours in the range, red, blue, green, silver and white in sizes S to 3XL.

So then the price, £55, which in the grand scheme is pretty much mid-range but the RS feels and performs like a jersey around the ninety to a hundred quid mark. The material feels great against the skin and moves with you without any rucking or bunching while the dropped tail and pre-cut shoulders mean the jersey stays in place throughout the ride.

The quality is great with well finished seams and even though the majority of test miles have been done commuting with a rucksack on my back there is no signs of any bobbling or snags in the material.

Overall the RS jersey is a lot like the Louis Garneau Superleggara we recently tested in terms of performance and ventilation while almost matching the level of fit and cut. That's no big issue though considering that the RS is half the price and is harder wearing to boot.

Verdict

A pro level jersey at an intermediate price.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Sugoi RS Jersey

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The RS is a performance jersey aimed at the performance club rider, amateur racer. The cut and fit though reflect a much higher spec bit of kit

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Sugoi's Vector Stretch material is a two layer mesh which works to remove moisture from the body and allow passing wind to remove it from the jersey.

Rate the product for quality of construction:

8/10

Rate the product for performance:

9/10

Rate the product for durability:

8/10

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:

8/10

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:

9/10

Rate the product for value:

9/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Stu knocked out his first road.cc review back in 2009 and since then he's chucked the best part of seventy test bikes around the West Country, a couple of them quite literally! With three alloy and two steel bikes in his fleet he's definitely a metal man (that'll be the engineering background) but is slowly warming to that modern carbon fibre stuff along with fat tyres & disc brakes.
It's not all nostalgia though, after spending the last few years in product design Stu keeps banging on about how 3D printing is going to be the next big thing and he's a sucker for a beautiful paint job too.

Here's how we roll at road.cc:

Every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a real insight into whether it works or not. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective, and we strive to ensure that all opinions expressed are backed up by facts, but reviews are always a reviewer's informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores. It reflects both a product's function and value. Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad. Here's what they mean: